The pastor of a prominent Dallas-Fort Worth megachurch said he had an inappropriate online relationship with a woman and will step down from preaching and ". We have committed to an independent review of our governance structure and processes, it continued. Alsoon Aug. 1, The Village Church announcedon its websitethat it hadsettled a 2019 lawsuitalleging that one of its former children'sministers molested an 11-year-old girl. According to CCC Lead Pastor Cal Jernigan, Baker had been involved in a six-month-long extramarital relationship with a church employee, and the church had fired both Baker and the employee. Dr. Ed Stetzer, professor and dean at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, tweeted the news and called for prayers, saying: "Today, @RickWarren announced that they will begin searching for his successor. "Time has a way of bringing forth the whole truth.". ", His wife Lauren is publicly supporting him during this season, posting a photo of her looking up at him adoringly. They added that it indicated some unhealthy behavior patterns in his life. "The Purpose Driven Church: Every Church Is Big in God's Eyes", Rick Warren's Saddleback Church Makes Bold Move by Appointing Its First-Ever Female Pastors, Beth Moore: 'I Can No Longer Identify With Southern Baptists', Eric Metaxas Radio Show Banned From YouTube For Violating Community Standards, Amazing Testimonies Emerge from Major KY Revival Event in Asbury's Aftermath: 'All About Jesus', 'It's a Crisis': Historic Staffing Shortages Lead Police Departments Nationwide to Get Creative, Operation Blessing Purifies Local Well to Help Countless Turkey Quake Survivors, Senators Grill Garland on DOJ's Response to Fentanyl, Hunter Biden Probe, Applying Law to Pro-Life, Pro-Choice Activists, Texas Megachurch Leaves United Methodists as LGBT Rift Widens. A couple days later, in a crazy turn of events, Caleb was offered a job in Arizona, Mike Baker said. Updated on 3/1/23: This story has been updated to include a statement from Cal Jernigan that he posted on CCCs website on February 28. Then in July 2022, a former employee notified the elders of an abusive culture in 2016. At that point, the elders brought in a third party for an audit of the church as a workplace. The Lords in it (and) weve walked through this together.. But while ECC elders said in their statement they initiated a third-party audit then, they didnt inform Lee that they were investigating, nor of the results, Lee said on Instagram. ", "After listening to his statement to the congregation, my educated guess is that there is much more to this story not in a good way," he added. Chandler is also president and chairman ofActs 29, an organization dedicated to starting new churches. 2023 Cable News Network. "It is the best protection for everybody. READ:Eric Metaxas Radio Show Banned From YouTube For Violating Community Standards. He has guided countless young leaders and inspired many of today's prominent pastors to pursue their own callings to ministry. But the church said "the frequency and familiarity of the messages crossed a line. He claimed that in 2016, trustworthy staff members looked into sexual allegations against Caleb but resolved it wasnt possible to know if the allegations were true. To donate, Vineyard Pastor Resigns, Wont Cooperate With Probe Into Sons Alleged Misconduct, Why Businessman Peter Chung Matters for the Future of The Kings College. She's somewhat skeptical, contending that Chandler has been allowed to "control the narrative.". She said some things in that conversation, though, that were really disorienting for me.". When the woman confronted Chandler, he thought he did nothing wrong, but he self-reported it to his church's leadership. Well, I would say it would have to start with the audience at these places (in past times, parishners) If they/we want this kind of thing to end, they/we all need to leave these kinds of churches (anything that looks like a corporate headquarters or mall, with a stage and lights etc) and go find the nearest small, local church, connected to a bona fide / long term denomination, and that Lacks a stage / lights / band etc..and intends to keep it that way. Other allegations concerning Mike Baker have also recently come to light. A lead pastor for Hillsong megachurch has stepped down mere hours before the premiere of a docuseries about the institutions recent scandals. Who Will Pay for the SBCs Abuse Reforms Over the Long Term? Brian Houston, the founder of Australian megachurch Hillsong, stepped down from his role as global senior pastor amid an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct towards two women, the church announced on Wednesday. Each campus has the flexibility to contextualize ministry to its unique community under the leadership of its own campus pastor, the church states. Maybe the fault in all of these indiscretions we often hear about doesnt rest on the leaders. The church's board of elders announced during Sunday services that longtime, influential Pastor Mark Balmer, 77, was no longer lead pastor and would be given an extended sabbatical. WebBilly Grahams grandson steps down from Florida megachurch after admitting an affair. This feels like leadership trying to distance themselves from any accountability. On Sunday, the church published a webpage with details of the process, including members of the search committee and details of the church membership vote to come in future months. We were neglected. Secrets and abuse are furthering harm for generations. The truth is we dont know what happened next. The original version of this article published on Feb. 27, 2023, reported that the congregational vote tally was 871 to 12. Pray for him, @KayWarren1, @Saddleback Church, and all their related ministries as they step into this next phase of ministry. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. Following this discovery, Houston "agreed to take specific action including stepping down from leadership for a period. Two megachurchesone in Arizona and one in Illinoisare being rocked by allegations they allowed a pastor guilty of clergy sexual abuse to re-enter the ministryand offend again. Houston was charged last August with concealing child sex abuse by his late father, Frank Houston, an allegation he strenuously denied. 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Click on any of the topics below: Need prayer? ), The combination of these most recent allegations by ECC former staff and the news of Caleb Bakers admitted affair with a staff member of Central Church in Phoenix, Arizona, have reinforced to the Elders that it is best to continue forward with the independent third-party audit, the statement said. I feel like I'm embarrassing my wife and kids, Chandler told the congregation Sunday. Houston temporarily stepped down from his role as global pastor in January, which he said was part of preparation for a trial. Today, it operates churches in thirty countries including the US and markets itself as a contemporary Christian place of worship. "For 42 years, Kay and I have known this day would eventually arrive and we've been waiting for God's perfect timing," Warren announced in a video to the church. ", Multiple statements were released to the Australian press last week regarding alleged sexual misconduct by Houston. The church alleged, "numerous other pastors and individuals had knowledge of this matter prior to Brian Houston learning about it.". CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. We also worked closely with Pastor Brian to ensure he received professional help to eliminate his dependency on this medication, and this was achieved successfully, Hillsongs statement said. In his video today, Mike Baker accused those who are posting allegations on social media of shooting his family like its the Valentines Day massacre., But Smith said shes refusing to be silenced. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Smith said that in 2014, she sat with Sara and broke down about the constant abuse I endured at the hands of her son. Smith told TRR that she asked the Bakers for their support in getting their son counseling, but said she needed to live apart from him to be safe. Abby Smith, the ex-wife of another one of Mikes sonsMikey Bakerwrote on Facebook that Mikey abused her mentally, emotionally and physically for four years. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? "At the time when she brought it up, I saw no issue with it," he explained. "Individually and collectively, each SBC entity is resolved to fully and completely cooperate with the investigation," read an SBC statement released Aug. 12. TRR reached tried to call and email Mikey Baker for comment but was unsuccessful. If not, I would question whether having a six month long extramarital relationship with the Lead Student Pastor and Associate Preaching Pastor was legally a sackable offence Indeed, it could be argued that the church employee was fired for being a particularly vulnerable victim of clergy sexual abuse, whether or not a credible profession of faith was a requirement for employment. Excuses are made. In November 2020, Mr. Houston fired Carl Lentz, the head pastor of To contact us or to submit an article, click here. Shortly ahead of the Instagram announcement, Collier alerted congregants to the news in a slightly more candid internal email, which has been viewed by The Post. Brian Houston, the global senior pastor at Hillsong Church in Australia, has resigned from his post, according to a statement released by the church's board. However, the board did not provide details about what may have happened behind closed doors, with Hillsong's interim Senior Global Pastor Phil Dooley telling hundreds of attendees, "The truth is we don't know what happened next," according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. FIRST RAPE INVESTIGATION OPENED IN UKRAINE FOR ALLEGED SEX CRIME COMMITTED BY RUSSIAN SOLDIER, "The woman has not said there was any sexual activity," Dooley reportedly added. While the allegations were not referenced in the resignation statement, the board did acknowledge the accusations last week, stating that it was "dealing with two complaints made against Pastor Brian over the last ten years.". They revealed that (he) did not use language appropriate for a pastor, and he did not model a behavior that we expect from him., The statement said his leave of absence is "both disciplinary and developmental, which allows him to focus on growing greater awareness in this area.". Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), is stepping down from his position as lead pastor of the megachurch. Pray for him, @KayWarren1, @Saddleback Church, and all their related ministries as they step into this next phase of ministry.". The pastor's leave is the latest blow for the church and the Southern Baptist Convention denomination the countrys second-largest faith group, of which the Village Church is a member. Moss stated that the church bylaws available on the churchs website proscribe their senior pastor search process moving forward. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. By Sarah Pulliam Bailey. By Rebecca Hopkins. 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